Satan's Daughter
by Animefangirl365
Summary: NOTE: This uses BOTH Anime arcs AND Manga Arcs! Backstory: Illuminati is defeated, Izumo is rescued, Shima is back and on probation, and it has been four months since the Impure King. Now, an American transfer student has come to True Cross cram school with a shocking secret: She's Satan's Daughter! Rated T for mild to moderate language
1. Chapter 1

It was raining at True Cross Academy, and a certain group of Cram School students were goofing off in the classroom while they waited for a certain teacher – who was late. They had managed to sneak a baseball into the classroom, and now they were taking turns tossing it back and forth to each other.

Rin, the current holder of the ball, noticed that Shima was spending more time watching the way Shiemi's skirt flounced as she moved between the desks than watching out for a ball, so he chucked it at his head, and it found its target with a thud, knocking him to the ground.

"Ahh, Rin, what the heck was that for?!" complained Shima.

Bon retorted, "Che, It's your own damn fault for paying more attention to the girls than to the game!"

"Uwahh, no fair! I'm a guy, I can't help it! You know you're just jealous because I'm unashamed about it – OW!" Izumo hit him over the head; "We're dating now, so you shouldn't think like that anymore! Seriously!" "Sorry Izumo-chan."

Konekomaru then glanced at his watch. "Hmm… guys, Okumura-sensei is twenty minutes late. Do you think he's okay?"

Rin snorted "Pfft, he'll be fine, you'll see-"

The door opened, and in walked Yukio, their _very_ late teacher, and he wasn't alone. There was a girl behind him; she had bright blue eyes, deep blue hair, a teal halter blouse, deep blue skinny jeans, a book bag, a Japanese sword in an elaborate royal purple sheath at her waist, and strappy black heels.

Yukio said, "Everyone, this is Rayla Suzuki, a transfer student from the American Branch."

"Hello. I'm 17 years old. It's nice to meet you." She said. She then took a seat at the back without another word. Yukio said, "Alright, let's begin the lesson."

Half an hour later, the bell rang for lunch. Yukio gave them homework, packed up his briefcase, and left. Everyone else slowly got to their feet, stretched, and made their way to their lockers. Rayla followed to see where they ate their lunch, and when they took a seat under a tree, she promptly sat on the fountain. She ate quickly, and once she finished, she pulled out a sketchpad and a pack of colored pencils and began drawing. The bell rang, and she packed up her stuff and went back to the classroom. When the others got there, they found her sitting at the back again. Shiemi decided to try to get to know her, so she took a seat next to Rayla. "Hello, I'm Shiemi Moriyama. So what brought you to Japan?" and Rayla said, "To be with my brothers."

Shiemi smiled and said, "That sounds sweet! Do they attend cram school?" and Rayla's cheeks lightly flushed, and she went silent. This confused Shiemi. "Do you not want to talk about it?" and Rayla simply shook her head. Shiemi nodded and said, "Okay, that's fine. Well, I'll tell you about me then. My mother owns the Exorcist Supply Shop here, so I've known about demons my whole life. I met Yuki-chan a few years ago." Rayla said, "Yuki-chan?" and Shiemi said, "Oh, right, well, Yuki-chan is my nickname for Yukio, the teacher who brought you here." And Rayla nodded in understanding.

* * *

The rest of their day went smoothly. They had a fitness evaluation Tsubaki's class that everyone met all requirements. He told them that they would start going on regular missions starting in a week, and that they would need to spend time getting to know each other, and nobody missed how his eyes lingered on Rayla, who hadn't said a word the entire time.

Then they had their summoning class, and they learned about "mount familiars," which are large and strong enough to carry their masters.

At the end of the day, everyone lingered to talk to each other; everyone except Rayla, who ran into the hall as soon as the bell rang. Shiemi went to investigate, but Rayla was nowhere to be seen. Shiemi went back to the classroom, where she said goodbye to her friends before going home.

* * *

[ In Mephisto's Office ]

The headmaster was sitting at his desk, eating ramen and watching an episode of his favorite show when the door opened, and in walked Rayla. He took one look at her face and knew something was wrong. "Rayla, what's wrong? Surely it went okay?"

She shook her head and said "I couldn't tell them. Not yet. Nii-san, what if they hate me?" and she started crying. Mephisto set down his food, walked over to her, pulled her into a hug, and said "There's no way they could hate you. They would have to be the most ignorant bunch of baboons in existence if they did. In case you've forgotten, they accepted our little brothers alright, so why would they single you out?"

Through the tears streaming down her face, she said, "They got to know Rin and Yukio as people long before they learned about father, and even so, they were still hateful at first. So I won't tell them, not yet anyway." Mephisto nodded and said, "Yes, that is true. So, do you have any kind of timeframe of when to tell them?" She shook her head and said "No, but I'll have to be careful. We're going on missions in a week, and so Tsubaki-sensei wants up to get to know each other. What should I do?"

He simply said, "Do what feels like the right thing. Little sister, there is a reason why we called you the _little general_ back home. From the start, we knew that your strategic skills even rivaled mine. For now, get some rest; you'll need it to keep that little mind of yours working. In the meantime, I'll pile together all your skills and weaknesses and find which ones would not blow your cover immediately." She nodded, wiped her eyes, and went to the nearest door, pulling out a key as she went. Once she was through, Mephisto went back to his desk, opened his computer, and set to work.

* * *

[ Rin and Yukio's Dorm ]

Rin lay in bed, thinking about the events of the day.

Rayla hadn't said a word all day after she talked to Shiemi. Rin knew something was up, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He decided he would attempt to talk to her and try to find what was bothering her.

Yukio was at his desk, working on the lesson plans. He stretched and yawned, then checked his work. Finding it satisfactory, he put it securely in his briefcase. He turned to Rin and said, "Hey, nii-san, what did you think of Rayla? She seemed nice enough, but she was completely silent."

Rin looked up and said, "I was just thinking the same thing. Shiemi asked her why she came to Japan, and she said she came to be with her brothers, but then she looked startled and stopped talking."

Yukio nodded and said, "I don't know why that happened, but I'm sure she'll tell us when she's ready. Now go to sleep. You guys have tomorrow off, so you can spend it doing your homework, nii-san." He smirked when Rin twitched. He then turned out his desk lamp and climbed into his bunk.

Rin was awake for a long time, even after Yukio's soft snores filled the room. He eventually fell asleep shortly after midnight, and his subconscious drifted to deciphering Rayla's behavior.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Ever since finishing the _Blue Exorcist_ anime and catching up with the manga, I have toyed with the idea of Satan having a daughter that almost nobody knew about until she came to True Cross Academy. I have toyed with this idea in my head many times while going to sleep, so for the most part, I should hopefully update at least once or twice a week. (I am SO busy at the moment!) This is my very first fanfic, so I accept all _constructive_ criticism, suggestions, and tips. What I will _not_ accept, however, is blatant hate mail. I get enough bashing for my "Satan's Daughter" idea from my older brother, thank you very much.  
**

**Giving Credit:**

**GhostMenace2: You are an amazing writer, and I fully admit that I copied the [ Location ] idea from you fanfic, "Demonic Instincts".**


	2. Chapter 2

[ Mephisto's Mansion, the next day ]

Rayla's alarm clock broke the silence of the house at seven in the morning. She reached over and pressed the snooze button before curling back up under the covers. She had stayed awake until the first break of dawn going over what kind of things she might say to the others.

She had gone over her lines meticulously so she wouldn't have another slip-up like yesterday. That had been way too close; if Shiemi hadn't been almost obsessively specific with "cram school" versus "here," she would have blown her secret out into the open. Even if Shiemi hadn't been so specific, she would have still meant the cram school, and since there is only one pair of brothers at the cram school… she couldn't afford another mistake like that again. Her alarm sounded off again, so she sighed, got up, put on her slippers, and made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast with Ukobach.

* * *

Mephisto woke up to bright rays of sunshine coming in his window. He sat up, and found to his relief that he hadn't fallen asleep at his desk. He had spent many hours finding all of Rayla's strengths and weaknesses, and then figuring out which ones would be safe to reveal. This was going to be tricky business; one wrong move, and everyone would know before Rayla was ready. Sighing, he put on his robe and slippers and went downstairs.

He entered the kitchen with the smell of French toast filling the air. He saw Rayla and Ukobach working at the grill and smiled before dropping into a chair at the table. He said "Good morning Rayla, good morning Ukobach." Rayla said "Good morning nii-san. How did you sleep?"

Mephisto said, "Really well! So what are you going to do today?" Rayla said, "Not much. I've decided that the most important thing to do is carefully plan how much I reveal. It came too close yesterday, and I do not care to repeat it." Mephisto nodded and said "Sounds good." Rayla pulled the French toast off the grill and set it on the table. Mephisto grabbed 8 slices and nearly drowned them in syrup. Rayla grabbed 6 slices and spread an average layer of syrup over them.

They ate their breakfast in peace and quiet, and then Mephisto stood up, stretched, and said, "Good luck to you. Now, I shall be buying some manga today. Do you want any?" and Rayla said, "Here, I'll make a list!" She grabbed a pen and a notepad and wrote down the list of mangas she wanted. Mephisto said "Alright Rayla, I will get these! Take care now!" He waved, and waltzed through the door using the Infinity key.

Rayla sighed and said, "What _should_ I do today?"

* * *

[ Rin and Yukio's Dorm ]

Yukio's alarm went off at 7:30. He had no lessons to teach, no classes to attend, and no foreseeable missions. The only thing he _did_ have to do was wake up his sleeping twin and get him started on the neglected pile of homework on his desk. Yukio stretched, yawned, sighed, and got up to wake Rin. He crossed the room, and bent over to shake Rin's shoulder.

He had barely touched him, however, when Rin's eyes shot open, and he sat straight up, smacking his forehead on Yukio's. They both winced in pain, and Yukio took a seat on the floor. He whined, "What was that for nii-san?! I was trying to wake you nice and gentle!" and Rin looked at Yukio's position on the floor and said, "Sorry. I was having this weird dream. I've mostly forgotten about it already though, so don't bother asking." Yukio sighed and said "Guess it can't be helped. Now come on, you need to get started on this homework." And he gestured to the desk with the thumb that wasn't massaging the quickly forming bruise.

Rin pouted, but said "Alright, I'll do it." And he got up and sat at the desk. He then grabbed the hair clip that Bon had given him and pinned his bangs out of the way. He got to work filling in the answers he knew, and pausing to ask Yukio about the ones he didn't.

* * *

By noon, he had worked through all of it. Yukio decided to reward him for his diligence and keeping at it, so they decided to spend the rest of the day at the pool. Rin called Bon, Shima, Konekomaru, Shiemi, and Izumo to ask if they wanted to come. They all agreed to meet at the pool at 1 o'clock. Rin frowned and said, "I want to invite Rayla, but I don't have her number…" Yukio said "I do. I had her give it to me so that when we start missions, she will be able to communicate with us if we spread out. Here – " he took out his phone and wrote down Rayla's number on a piece of paper. He put his phone away and handed the paper to Rin.

Rin then picked up his own phone again and dialed the number.

It rang five times before someone answered. **"Hello?"** said a female voice. For a moment, he thought he had the wrong number because the girl on the other end sounded much happier and friendlier than Rayla.

"This is Rin, from cram school. Listen, we – all of us from school – are planning to meet at the pool at one, and I wondered if you would like to come."

There was silence for a minute, and then he heard **"Yeah, I'll be there. Thank you for asking me Rin. By the way, how did you get my number?"**

"I – well, I got it from Yukio. He thought it was a good idea to invite you so he gave it to me."

He heard a giggle that sounded like it was being muffled, although poorly, and then, **"Alright, see you in a bit!"**

She hung up, and Rin put his phone in his pocket. He turned to Yukio and said, "She agreed! Now let's get our stuff!" They packed their swim shorts, towels, and goggles into their sports bags, and then set off for the pool.

* * *

[ Mephisto's Mansion ten minutes earlier]

Rayla was sketching a picture of her whole family as they had looked the last time she saw them. For once, they had all looked happy at the same time. That was rare; usually, one of them started a fight. The photographers didn't even attempt to tell them to hold still for the pictures anymore, but that time they did so on their own. She smiled at her work, and, finding it sufficient, placed it in one of the frames that Mephisto had made to exactly fit her sketch paper. She hung it on the wall, and then looked at her watch; it was 12:15. She sighed, and went to her room. No sooner had she flopped down on her bed than her phone rang, shrill and demanding, from her pocket.

She looked at the caller ID, and it was one she didn't know. She answered, "Hello?"

A male voice she immediately recognized answered, **"This is Rin, from cram school. Listen, we – all of us from school – are planning to meet at the pool at one, and I wondered if you would like to come."**

_Oh crap!_ She thought. _I didn't think he would call me! What do I say?! If I go, but don't bother changing to a swimsuit or swimming, that would be bad. My best chance is to wear a one-piece._ "Yeah, I'll be there. Thank you for asking me Rin. By the way, how did you get my number?"

"**I – well, I got it from Yukio. He thought it was a good idea to invite you so he gave it to me."**

She burst into a fit of giggles, and tried to muffle it by clamping her hand on her mouth, but it didn't work. She wasn't surprised; that fit both of their personalities exactly. She stopped laughing and said "Alright, see you in a bit!" and she hit the "end" button.

She realized that this might just blow her cover, but she decided that backing out of group activities right after they were told to get to know each other would raise too many suspicions to be safe. She got up off the bed, picked up the phone again, and dialed Mephisto's number. It picked up on the 4th ring, and her brother's voice came through the phone; **"Hello Rayla, is something up?"**

Rayla decided to skip the mind games this time and said, "Save me the time. You know exactly what's up. Is this okay?"

She heard a sigh, and then, **"Yes, it is. If you had said no, especially with orders from your teacher to get to know the class, then that would have raised one too many eyebrows."**

She nodded to herself and said, "That's what I thought. Thanks nii-san!" and she hung up.

She packed her things and exited the mansion, going to the pool.

* * *

[ At the Pool ]

Everyone arrived on time, and entered the large building containing the pool. Rayla went to take a look at the swimsuits to find one that would successfully conceal her tail. She glanced at the bikini section, and spotted one that had horizontal stripes. Those would conceal the bulge of a tail well enough, and besides, the shop also carried rings that were indeed intended to go inside the bikini to hold it in place. She took it to the counter and bought it before rushing off to join the girls in the shower.

She had been right; no one said a word about the ring around her waist. They splashed, played, jumped off the diving board, and held competitions for who could hold their breath longer. Rayla made sure she didn't push herself to the limit; if she made one mistake, did one thing that a human couldn't, she would be exposed.

Around 4:00, everyone started to get hungry, so they got out, changed back to normal clothes, and said their goodbyes out front.

Walking home, Rayla had never felt happier; she had been sheltered in the royal palace until she was nine and came to Assiah, then time after time she was pushed back, unable to make friends. Now she was among those who had the _chance_ of accepting her once they knew the truth.

She skipped along the sidewalk, humming to herself as she went.

* * *

[ Rin and Yukio's Dorm ]

Rin flopped down into a chair around the table, and said, "Rayla seemed happier today. I wonder what changed." Yukio said, "Hmm… well, I would say something did indeed change from what I saw myself and what you told me. Who knows when she'll tell us… but she will do so on her own time."

Rin sighed, and said, "I guess dinner isn't gonna cook itself… I'll get started on it."

* * *

[ Mephisto's Mansion ]

Mephisto had been watching the pool outing on his little screen he had set up. He watched as Rayla smiled, laughed, and played with her classmates. _She looks happy… she shouldn't be so worried about their reactions. I won't push her too hard though…_ He heard the front door open, so he pulled closed the drapes that hung over the screen and went to greet Rayla.

He was almost to the stairs when she came charging up them in a huge hurry. She flung her arms around Mephisto's waist and said, "I had so much fun! I was happy and it was perfect!" He hugged her back and said, "Of course it was perfect! You may be a brilliant strategist, but sometimes you worry too much." She grinned at him and said, "Have you figured out what I can share yet?" and he said, "Yes, I have. You can share almost everything; the only no-no's are the obvious; your demonic attributes such as strength and large lung capacity, as well as your demonic weaknesses such as your tail. Other than that, I found nothing else that would give you away."

She cheered "Yay! When I go back to class tomorrow, I'll have to start helping with the organization of our 'Get to know each other' meeting. Now, has Ukobach started on dinner yet?" Mephisto grinned and said, "He's putting the finishing touches on it as we speak! Now let's go and not put all his work to waste!" and with that, they went into the kitchen and found sweet and sour chicken with fried noodles **(1).** They took their seats and began eating, discussing the finer points of the day's events.

* * *

Later, Rayla was relaxing on her bed, reading the manga that Mephisto had bought for her, when a thought occurred to her; what if something happened on a mission and she was exposed?

No one would be there to cover for her, or explain. Even if they weren't afraid of her abilities or heritage, they would surely fear her for where she grew up… she wasn't raised as a human like Rin and Yukio. No, she had been whisked off to Gehenna at only a week old, and kept there for nine years. She had been cared for and taught by the nine most fearsome demons to ever exist, and even with eight years in Assiah under her belt, everyone was sure to hate her for that.

She put the book on the table beside her bed, and curled up in a ball, hugging her knees. She fell asleep like that, and when Mephisto came to check on her, that was how he found her. He pulled the covers back and tucked her in before turning off the light and exiting her room.

* * *

**Author's notes**

**(1) I know that sweet and sour chicken isn't a Japanese or even true Chinese dish, but cut me some slack. I haven't watched enough anime or read enough manga to know the wide variety of Japanese cuisine. **

**I hope you all like what I made so far! Again, all constructive criticism, advice, and commentary are accepted, while hate mail isn't. Hate mail will be ignored completely, I won't waste my time, so don't bother sending it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh. My. Freaking. GOSH. I finally overcame my month-long writer's block, and I have had a FLOOD of inspiration! Sit back and read! I hope some possibly confusing things will be explained as I continue posting chapters!**

* * *

[Mephisto's Mansion]

Rayla woke up at 7:00 like always. She sat up and stretched, working out all the cramps and kinks from her less than comfortable position that involved her left arm trapped underneath her, her right leg bent out at a strange angle next to her, and her neck at a very tight angle that put her chin on her chest. **(A/N: Yes, I have actually woken up like this some mornings!) **She went to her closet and deliberated between her usual halter blouse and skinny jeans versus the school uniform. Mephisto hadn't found it necessary to enroll her in the Academy since she had read more educational books in eight years than most humans did in a lifetime, but it was still polite to wear it. She decided to wear a cream white sundress until it was time for cram school.

Once she had dressed, she went downstairs and found that Mephisto had already left; he had set up "stamp cards" so that if one of them had to leave without telling the other, they could switch their own card to _Academy_, _Cram School, _or _Other._ Mephisto had apparently gone to fulfill his duties as director of the academy. She entered the kitchen and found fluffy pancakes with a bowl of blueberries and raspberries on the table for her. She sat and found a note tucked under the edge of the plate. It read;

_Dear Rayla__,_

_You probably didn't sleep very well, so this pancake has some supplements that will help. And remember, be yourself; or at least, as much as you can without revealing your heritage. Have a good day my dear little sister! _

_Your nii-san,_

_Mephisto_

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and began to scoop some berries onto her pancakes. She finished her meal and decided to take a nap – she really didn't sleep very well at all. She laid down on the couch and pulled one of the many anime-themed blankets in the house over herself.

* * *

She woke up and found to her horror that she had five minutes before her first class. She dressed at top speed (and record time) and used a key to dash through her door and to the cram school. She made it to the classroom in time and found that everyone else was there and staring. She laughed nervously and said, "ahh… I took a nap and overslept. My bad!" She took her seat and was grateful that her tail had recently taken to naturally wrapping itself around her leg; otherwise, she would have forgotten to hide it.

Yukio began the lesson and Rayla took notes on the different battle tactics. "Now, if you would follow me please." He led the class to a large room that looked like a training hall. Rayla grinned and thought, _I wonder if they'll let me… nah, probably not._ Yukio led the exwires over to a weapons closet. Rayla gripped the hilt of the sword at her side. _Boy am I glad __**my**__ powers aren't sealed in a sword… that adds a whole new level of vulnerability… poor Rin._ Since Shima had his staff, Konekomaru wasn't training in a specific weapon yet, Shiemi and Izumo already had their summoning papers on them, and Rin and Rayla had their own swords, Ryuji was the only one who had to grab anything; his choice was a gun belt stocked with two pistols and two clips of ammo. **(A/N: I don't know guns, but my mental image is guns like Yukio's.)**

Suddenly the doors opened and in walked a very well-endowed young woman with bright red hair with yellow tips that gave the appearance of flames sprouting from her scalp. _Oh! Nii-san told me about her… She – Shu.. what's her name?_ Yukio glared at the woman and said, "Shura-san… you're late. _Again._" She laughed and said, "Come on scaredy four-eyes, I'm only late by five minutes. You should loosen up a little! Nya haha~!" Yukio sighed and said, "Whatever. Alright, you will be going into the batting cage in pairs **(A/N: For mental image, imagine the batting cage that Yukio and Shura competed in in the anime... ya know, when Rin accidentally burned off their clothes leaving them in their underwear?)**. Your goal will be to hit as many targets as accurately as you can. If it helps you, you can make it a friendly competition with your teammate of who can hit the most targets. However, real missions should _not_ be made a competition. Understand?" The class nodded and Yukio said, "Alright; the first pair will be Rin and Rayla; it would be a more accurate measure seeing as they both have their own swords that they have likely used many times. Please step into the cage."

Rayla and Rin walked into the cage and Rayla observed Rin's confidence. He obviously thought that with his flames, it would be an easy win. Yukio realized it as well and said, "Oh, nii-san? Don't use your flames on the targets." Rin's face fell into a frown and Rayla snickered. _This should be interesting..._ Shura stepped up to the control panel and said, "You will be on the easiest level. On three; one – two – three!" She flipped the switch and the machine whirred to life.

For a while, it was easy to hit every ball that came at them. Once the machine started to speed up, they had to pick up their game a little. Moves had to be planned carefully so they would be prepared to hit the next ball. It seemed an even competition until Rin missed the 53rd ball. Shura stopped the machine and said, "Well done, both of you! You did excellent!" The rest of the class applauded, and Shura called out the next pair: Izumo and Shiemi.

They stepped into the batting cage and summoned their familiars; Izumo summoned two hobgoblins and Shiemi summoned two slightly-enlarged greenmen. Their match went about the same as Rin and Rayla's except that their familiar pairs' teamwork was more efficient than a single blade. They didn't miss a single ball until Shiemi's greenmen became too exhausted to continue, and Izumo's hobgoblins weren't far behind.

The next pair, Konekomaru and Shima, didn't do very well at all; they had to repeat the mantra for the balls every time one shot out of the machine, which quickly wore them out. Ryuji was paired with Yukio because of Ryuji's aim for a Dragoon meister. They both hit every single ball until Ryuji ran out of ammo and Shura stopped the machine.

Once out of the cage, Yukio said, "Now, we see the weakness in each meister on its' own. For a Knight, your single blade can only do so much, and no matter how used to a specific blade you are, you will eventually be worn out, even with your demonic endurance, nii-san." Rin pouted.

"For a Tamer, the familiar's strength depends on your own. If you grow exhausted, they will too. The more familiars you summon, the faster that will happen." Shiemi and Izumo nodded in understanding.

"For an Aria, you are completely dependent on your teammates to protect you. Most arias must remain completely motionless as they recite or they will make mistakes. Even if they don't make mistakes, they will quickly be worn out from repeated recitation." Shima chuckled nervously while Konekomaru frowned.

"For a Dragoon, you must carefully balance how much ammo you carry. Too much, and your movements will be slowed. Too little, and you will be left defenseless." Ryuji grimaced.

Yukio cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and continued. "A good team consists of five people to have all five meisters." He went over to the wall, uncovered a hidden whiteboard, and began to draw a diagram. When he stepped away, there was a large blob with five dots scattered in various positions away from the blob. "You have the demons here," he pointed to the blob "the Knight here," he pointed to the dot closest to the blob "the Dragoon here," he pointed to the dot off to the side of the Knight but a little further from the blob "the Tamer here," he pointed to the dot directly behind the Knight "and the Doctor and Aria here." He finished by pointing at the two dots behind the Tamer.

"The purpose of this formation is simple; the knight takes the brunt force of the attack and is on the 'front lines' so to speak. Their job is to occupy as many enemies as they can. The Dragoon is standing further away and off to the side to be able to shoot the demons. The Doctor and Aria are at the back of the group so they're protected by the Knight, Tamer, and Dragoon; if a demon slips past the knight, the Dragoon will target it. If the Dragoon can't take it out, the Tamer's familiars will take care of it. All the while, the Aria is also doing mantras and fatal verses to get rid of the demons. The most important piece is the Doctor; if the rest of the team is injured, then the Doctor can flee with them and provide first-aid. If the Doctor is injured in any way at all, the team will retreat."

Everyone nodded their heads and agreed with the demonstration. Rayla said, "But what if one of the members has multiple meisters? Like you for example; you have a Doctor and Dragoon meister, so where would you be?"

Yukio said, "Good question. That depends on the skill of the person, the importance of their skills, and the abilities of the rest of the team. In Shiemi-san's case, her combination of Doctor and Tamer serves her well; she can still stay at the back of the formation and still control her familiars. It gets more difficult with other meister combinations. My Doctor meister indicates that I should stay with the Aria at the back of the group, but my Dragoon meister indicates that I should be closer to the center of the action to improve my accuracy. Each situation calls for slight changes in strategy." He glanced at his watch and said, "Alright, we have five minutes until your next instructor arrives at the classroom, so we should go back." Ryuji put away his gun belt and the exwires followed Yukio back to the classroom where they had their standard sutra/mantra/fatal verses class.

* * *

After the last teacher for the day left the room, Konekomaru said, "So guys… we should get to know each other better like Tsubaki-sensei said to." Everyone turned to Rayla and gave her a look that very clearly said, "You go first." Rayla gulped. _Okay… remain calm… having a mental breakdown won't help…_ She took a deep breath and said,

"Well, I have a total of 10 brothers; eight older, two younger, although I didn't meet the younger ones until I came here. My father and eight older brothers have been training me to wield a sword ever since I was 5, and the one I have now is custom-made. I tend to have a motherly protective side that drives my brothers crazy; I yell at them when they do something reckless. That's pretty much it, so someone else please go." _That wasn't too awful… I didn't lie, and I didn't say anything that would give me away._ Rin smiled and said, "That sounds nice. Your little brothers must be lucky; I always wanted an older sibling. Not necessarily a sister but… oh well. I'm sure they really don't mind your protectiveness at all, they just act tough like they don't need it." Rayla and Yukio burst out laughing; Rayla because of the irony; Rin wanted an older sibling, and he had nine of them, and Yukio because despite his attempts to keep Rin out of trouble, Rin got frustrated and blew him off. While they tried to contain their laughter, everyone else sat there looking confused, especially Rin. Yukio managed to stop laughing first, and once Rayla did, she had to wipe a few tears from her eyes. **(A/N: you know how when you laugh REALLY hard and you get tears in your eyes? Yeah, that what's happening.)**

Rayla said, "Alright, now you know about me, so I need to know about all of you." Rin said, "I'll go first. Well, as Mephisto probably told you, me and Yukio are twins and we're the youngest sons of Satan. Yukio didn't inherit the powers at first while I did. My adoptive dad, Shiro Fujimoto, got Mephisto's help to seal my powers in this sword." He indicated Kurikara. "I can can control my flames now; it takes a little focus but I can do it. Apparently I have a reckless tendency, and there's this other guy, Amaimon, who takes my sword a lot, but he hasn't been seen for a while." Rayla nodded and thought, _that's because Samael nii-san got mad and grounded him._ "Oh and my goal is to defeat Satan. He killed my dad and almost killed all my friends and my brother; he's gonna pay for that!"

Izumo said, "I'll go next." Which somewhat surprised everyone. "My name is Izumo Kamiki, I am long-descended from a demon fox that was worshipped as a goddess. Because of some… things, I'm slow to trust anybody. The most precious thing to me is my little sister; I would do anything to protect her. I am also dating Shima here, so despite protocols, he will be the first one I protect on a mission. I am also training as a tamer." Shima nodded and said, "Well, I'm Shima Renzō, I have four older brothers that are always a pain in the ass, a new sister-in-law who is expecting a kid in about 4 months, my best friends are Bon and Koneko, and as stated, I'm dating Izumo-chan, so she will also be the first one I protect. I ended up making some really stupid choices, so I am now on probation with the Vatican, and I'm training as a knight primarily, but I'm also working on being an Aria."

Konekomaru said, "My name is Konekomaru Miwa, and I am the only surviving member of my family; they all died on the Blue Night 16 years ago." Rayla slightly frowned. _Damn… I feel bad for him… I wonder if Yukio told Rin why father did that… probably not._ "I am training to be an Aria, and I don't have the skills necessary for other meisters. I can't wield a sword because of my height, I can't aim a gun at all, and I don't have the aptitude for summoning anything." Ryuji cleared his throat and said, "My name is Ryuji Suguro, heir of the temple back home, I'm training to be an Aria and Dragoon, and my goal is also to defeat Satan; he dishonored my temple and killed most of its followers."

Finally, it was Shiemi's turn. "I'm Shiemi Moriyama; I'm training as a doctor and a tamer, my specialty being greenmen. My mother owns the Exorcist Supply Shop here on campus, so I help out now and then." Rayla nodded and said, "Thanks! Now I know a lot more about you guys! Now I need to get home; my brother's probably wondering how today went. Later!" and she grabbed her stuff, walked out the door, and used a very elaborate gold key on a door. Everyone else followed suit, using different keys to go back to their dorms.

* * *

[Mephisto's Mansion]

Rayla stepped through the door and was greeted by the smell of ramen and pork coming from the kitchen. She ran in and found Ukobach standing by the stove while Mephisto was leaning back in one of the chairs at the table. Rayla grinned and said, "Today was perfect!" and she began to recount every detail of her day, excluding the nap that she almost overslept from.

Ukobach announced that dinner was ready and set their ramen in front of them. They dug in and enjoyed their meal, thanking Ukobach when they were done. Mephisto said, "So I noticed you didn't tell them about your uh… talent?" Rayla said, "I didn't feel it was strictly necessary. I don't need too much attention; that would only get me discovered faster." Mephisto nodded and said, "Alright. Well, goodnight little sister, I hope you sleep better tonight." Rayla said, "Me too. Goodnight nii-san, see you in the morning if you're here." And with that, she went up to her room. She turned on her stereo system, plugged in her ipod, and began to dance along to her favorite mashup track. **(A/N: I love mashups and dancing, so I decided to throw this in there. The particular mashup I'm thinking of has more than FIFTY songs! Look it up on youtube if you want.)**

[Rin and Yukio's dorm]

Rin flopped onto his bed and whined, "I can't believe I got beat by a girl! Her family must be really strong in order to be that good." Yukio nodded and said, "That's true. If her family's that talented, I wonder if we've heard about them. Now, before you go to sleep, you will at least _look_ at the homework you were assigned today." Rin pouted but indeed sat up and went to his desk. He glanced at the homework prompts then, hoping Yukio was satisfied, he went back to his bed. Yukio didn't say anything, so he curled up under the covers and went to sleep. Yukio followed suit in his own bed.

* * *

**Author's notes; I hope you all like what I've made so far! Again, reviews are appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

Over the course of the week, Rayla spent more and more time with the Exwires. She was filled in on some of their more risky adventures that ranged from a disguised exam to run-ins with demon kings and rescuing Izumo from the Illuminati. Each day, she found herself growing more and more relaxed in the exwires' company. Then came the day of their first mission as a team.

They were heading out to a town that was being plagued by demons from middle to upper class. Once they arrived, they saw the extent of the damage. Buildings had collapsed, telephone poles had been knocked down and were blocking the streets, and various demons were chasing after stray humans that were brave and desperate enough to leave the shelters that the Order had set up. Yukio immediately made his way to the largest shelter where other exorcists were waiting. They fought off the demons that attempted to attack them and made it safely.

Once inside, Yukio found the director of the shelter and once he returned, he gave them their orders. "Moriyama, Kamiki, and I will provide first aid to the injured, Suguro, Renzō, and Miwa will learn the sutras from the exorcists here, and Rin and Suzuki will battle the demons with force. Rin, don't use the flames. The exorcists here know about you but the citizens don't." Rin nodded, and they all scattered to their tasks.

Everything went well, but suddenly there was an explosion on the outskirts of the town. No one knew what to do; all citizens had been evacuated from the area, but they also had to identify the cause. In the end, the exwires and Yukio were assigned as the scouting party. **(A/N: Rayla is also considered an exwire btw)**

They headed out, dodging as many demons as they could and eliminating the ones they couldn't. They reached the site of the explosion and found a horde of giant hobgoblins, ghouls, and naberiuses destroying the buildings. Everyone jumped into the formation that Yukio taught them; Rin, Shima, and Rayla in the front, Yukio and Ryuji to the sides, and Izumo, Shiemi, and Konekomaru in the back.

Eventually, Rin, Rayla, and Shima were sent flying off to the sides, and Izumo's familiars disappeared; she was hit in the back of the head by a stray hobgoblin and rendered unconscious. Shiemi attempted to summon some vines to protect herself and Konekomaru but before they could solidify, a ghoul punched straight through them, knocking Shiemi and Konekomaru to the ground with severe burns. Rin and Rayla came charging back in, and were sent flying once again; Rin hit his head on a rock and after some insistence from Rayla that he needed to lie down, he did so.

Rayla looked around the scene, and saw that Ryuji and Yukio were disarmed. _What should I do…. I can't let them die, not like this!_ She saw Izumo's eyes flutter open, but the wound on her head kept her from moving. Standing up, Rayla said, "Everyone… sorry…" she opened her backback and pulled out summoning papers and a fully stocked gun belt. She summoned seven greenmen, each sent to her teammates to provide first aid. She put on the gun belt, unsheathed her sword, and snapped her fingers once. It was a trick she had taught herself; she imagined her demonic appearance and flames to be like a light, and snapping her fingers to be the switch. Her ears grew longer and pointier, her teeth became more prominent, her nails sharpened into fangs, her tail unfolded itself from her waist, and brilliant blue flames erupted across her skin.

She pulled a gun from her belt and wielded it in her right hand; her sword was in her left. She began to chant the hobgoblins' fatal verse (fill in a fatal verse here if you want; I don't have the creative energy for it) and charged at the horde. She slashed and shot demons left and right, never stuttered in her chanting, and made her flames flare out to reduce more demons to ashes. She defeated the last demon and finally turned to her teammates. She sheathed her weapons and snapped her fingers, reverting to her human form.

She carefully approached her teammates and found that they were all in an herb-induced sleep, courtesy of her familiars. She asked the greenmen to make wooden stretchers, and they did. They worked together to get her team back to the shelter, where the medical staff fussed over them. She kept reassuring them that the threat was taken care of and that she was fine, but that didn't stop one of the doctors from fussing over her and insisting on a checkup. Rayla finally decided to go for a walk and went to the one garden that hadn't been affected by the demons yet. She watched the sun set and thought about what she should do. She decided to call her brother. She dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.

"**Hello?"** his voice came through the speaker. Rayla said, "It happened. They know. We were attacked and everyone was wounded and I –" she started sobbing. **"There there, it's alright. How did they take it?"** "I-I don't know y-yet. By the time I finished off the last d-demon, my greenmen had put them all into an herb-induced sle-ep." She said through the tears. **"That's alright then. Their minds are still functioning even in their sleep, so they will be thinking it over. By the time they wake, they will have gotten over their initial shock in order to behave rationally."** Rayla chuckled; "You should be a counselor, you know that, right?" His laugh came through the phone **"You might be right, but then again, I've only ever been a comfort to you. There's something about younger sisters that brings out the mature side in even the most foolhardy brothers. Now, sleep well Rayla, you will need it when your team wakes up."** "Thanks nii-san, you sleep well too. Goodnight." And she hung up.

She sighed. _What a disaster. If they had found out at home, when I have no obligation to stay, then that would be one thing. But on a mission?! I don't really regret it; they would have died, but…_ she sighed again. She leaned against the fence post and decided to take a nap.

* * *

[The next morning]

She woke up to the sunlight hitting her eyelids. She was now lying on the ground instead of leaning against the fencepost. She chuckled at herself a little. _I can sleep through hitting the ground hard, but not through gentle, early morning sunlight. I'm so weird._ She sat up and then heard footsteps and looked behind her where she saw her team, now awake and heavily bandaged in various places. That ruined her good mood because she remembered what happened after they were injured. She hugged her knees and looked down at her feet. _Please don't hate me. Please don't hate me._ She chanted over and over in her head like a mantra.

She was expecting some kind of hatred, so she was extremely surprised when someone wrapped their arms around her and gently said, "Why didn't you tell us?" She looked up and her blue eyes met Shiemi's green ones. "I-" she began "I was afraid you would hate me." She paused and thought _Ah, what the hell. Might as well…_

"My mother was human. I don't know how I was conceived, but I was born with the blue flames, amongst other demonic features. However, I was taken to Gehenna at only a week old. I lived there in the Royal Palace with my Father, brothers, and step-mother when she came along just under a year later. I didn't have any friends, but I loved playing with my brothers. I wasn't lying when I said I was trained to hold a sword at five. When I was nine, my oldest brother, Samael, convinced father to let me come to Assiah. And that is where I have lived ever since. I was actually never in America; I lived here in Japan with Samael. He worked with me on my temper since that is a natural demonic tendency. I learned everything there was to know about Assiah; the cultures, the history, and the educational system. On my 17th birthday, Samael decided that I was fit to attend Cram School and finally meet my younger brothers. You know the rest." She resumed looking at her feet.

Rin asked, "Who was your step-mother?" Rayla smiled at that and said, "Your mother, Yuri." Yukio and Rin had identical gobsmacked expressions while everyone else looked confused. Yukio finally stuttered out, "But she- I mean, our mother- died, when we were born. I saw Satan's memories a few weeks ago when he possessed me." Rayla nodded and said, "You are partially correct. Her body here in Assiah died, but Azazel, another of our many brothers, took her spirit to Gehenna upon father's request. She has lived there all these years and considers all eleven of us to be her children, not just you two."

Everyone else still looked confused, so Rayla took a deep breath and explained. "17 years ago, Yuri Egin, daughter of the Cardinal, was sent to investigate cases of spontaneous human combustion caused by blue flames." Everyone gasped, but Rayla continued "Suddenly, her team also combusted one by one, including Yuri. She understood that it was demon possession, and she fell unconscious.

"When she awoke, she discovered that her team had been burned to death but she was unscathed. She went looking for the mysterious demon, and she eventually found him inside the body of a wolf, identifiable because of the blue flames. After he revealed that he was simply seeking a host that could sustain him, Yuri offered to become his host since she was immune to his power. He accepted, and she showed him all there was about Assiah. She eventually ended up impregnated by him, and she was discovered by Shiro Fujimoto, the paladin, who was sent to retrieve her on a personal request from her father.

"After he started to kill some of the forest demons she was friends with, she erupted into the blue flames, revealing Satan's presence inside her. She told Shiro her story, and she was taken back to the Vatican, where she was told that she carried twins. When she refused to abort them, her own father sentenced her to be burned at the stake." Various levels of outrage exploded out of the exwires. Once they calmed down, Rayla continued.

"In his desperate bid to save Yuri, Satan possessed many priests, exorcists, and other beings of high power, to no avail. He eventually found that Yuri's father was strong enough to allow him to save Yuri. Yuri fled to a cave in the same woods where she met Satan and gave birth to Rin and Yukio. Shiro had been ordered to slaughter them, so he acquired the Koma sword, demon slaying sword, or Kurikara, whatever you decide to call it. He made it to Yuri's cave just in time for her to name the boys and then die.

"Just as Shiro was about to complete the task he was sent for, the boy cloaked in blue flames smiled at him," "aww!" Cooed Shiemi. "even though Shiro was holding a sword in his hands. Shiro changed his mind and struck a deal with Mephisto; he would raise the boys as his own and raise them as humans. Mephisto sealed Rin's powers into the sword, on the condition that if Rin awakened his true nature, then the boy's lives would be in his hands." The exwires were either gaping at Rayla or at Rin and Yukio.

Shiemi broke the silence and said, "So I still don't see why you thought we would hate you." Rayla said, "Rin and Yukio were raised as humans, knowing nothing about their heritage until they had a reason to hate it. I was trained as a demon princess from the start." She buried her face in her knees. Ryuji said, "Well, while that probably does weigh more towards you being demon royalty, you've been in Assiah, what, eight years? And you took a risk and saved us from those demons. Would Satan do that? Hell no! So I see nothing that could make any of us hate you." Rayla lifted her head from her knees and saw that he was right; no one had a single trace of distrust or hatred in their eyes. She smiled softly and said, "Thanks, everyone. So how bad are you hurt?"

Yukio indicated his right shoulder and said, "When one of the demons tried to disarm me, I didn't let go of the gun in time and my shoulder was dislocated." Shiemi said, "I got burned by one of the ghouls." Konekomaru said, "Me too." Izumo said, "I got wacked on the back of the head. Don't know by what though." Shima gingerly lifted his left arm, displaying the bright blue cast, and said, "When I got sent flying, I tried to catch myself and… well… when you get sent flying like that, you're not supposed to try to catch yourself." He nervously rubbed the back of his head and Izumo lightly punched his good arm and said, "Idiot." But there was no menace behind her words. Rin said, "Well, my worst injury is my head, but even that's not too bad because you told me to stay still so… thanks uhh… nee-san!" He grinned and Rayla smiled. Shiemi suddenly perked up and said, "That reminds me! Rin, remember a week ago when you said you wanted an older sibling because Rayla told us about her protective tendencies?! Well, turns out, she is your older sister after all!" Everyone burst out laughing, including Rin, and they kept talking about various things until Rayla, Rin, and Shima's stomachs chorused that it was time to eat, which resulted in another bout of laughter. They headed back to the shelter and found to their relief that breakfast was still being served, so they piled their plates and sat at one of the eating mats to keep the floor as clean as possible.

* * *

**(A/N: I know, I know, the way Rayla reveals herself is so cheesy and cliché and like Rin's big reveal that it's annoying. Hopefully I can improve my writing!) As always, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

[In that town… don't ask for a name please]

The rest of their mission went smoothly. After Rin took a bath and one of the civilians saw his tail, every single person knew about him, Yukio, and Rayla being half-demons. It wasn't a problem since the exwires had been their strongest offense against the demons, meaning they could be trusted. Since they no longer had to contain their demonic abilities, they could go full-out against the invaders, making the job easier on everyone.

After they had chased away the remaining demons, the reconstruction began. That was where Rin, Rayla, and Yukio were the most effective; they could lift 4 times more weight than a human could, so they could transfer materials faster than usual. In the end, the town learned a valuable lesson; do not judge someone on what they can't control, but what they do about it.

* * *

As soon as the exwires stepped back onto the True Cross Academy campus, Rayla received an urgent call from Mephisto; one of the exorcists at the town reported her to the Vatican. The exwires were to meet Mephisto at his Mansion to go to the Vatican for Rayla's trial. They made it to the courtroom and Rayla was put on the podium.

One of the Grigori called out, "Rayla Suzuki, exwire, you are on trial as an unreported half-demon. What is your heritage?"

Rayla replied, "My mother, a human, is Marianne Suzuki. My father is Satan, King of Gehenna."

The room exploded in roars of outrage and cries for execution.

"SILENCE!" cried one of the Grigori, and everyone fell silent. "Rayla Suzuki, do you possess the flames?" "I do." "Do you care to prove it?" "As long as you promise not to immediately assassinate me on the spot, I will. I mean you no harm. I won't even breathe when my flames are out; deal?" The Grigori nodded their heads, and Rayla snapped her fingers. She took on her demonic appearance, and her flames turned the room into various shades of blue, despite the bright chandelier above them. Everyone in the room, excluding the exwires, was gaping at her flames with varying levels of fear and horror. True to her word, Rayla wasn't even breathing. One of the Grigori indicated that she could revert to her human form, and she snapped her fingers once, making her features return to normal.

The third Grigori said, "The evidence is plain. Rayla Suzuki, exwire, is the daughter of Satan, and as much a threat as Rin Okumura, fellow exwire and son of Satan." Suddenly, Arthur Auguste Angel stepped forward and said, "No, I believe she is more of a threat. Her control over her flames is formidable. The best Okumura could do would be a blind rampage in which he doesn't hit anything and can be stopped by a tranquilizer dart. However, Suzuki has complete control over her flames and would not be stopped so easily." Silence filled the room as they contemplated his suggestion. Finally, one of the Grigori said, "While that is true in one way, Angel, it is false in another. We have discussed this; Okumura's control over his flames saved us from disaster twice now; when the Impure King was revived, and when Ernst Frederik Egin, former Cardinal and grandfather of Okumura, attempted to destroy Gehenna. And the twin, Yukio, also helped. I have seen the footage of Suzuki's actions in [town name], and I firmly believe that she is on an equal level with the Okumura twins. Suzuki, you are in cram school to become an exorcist, and not just to be closer to your brothers, am I correct?" "That is correct." "Would you consider your level of knowledge on exorcism to be the same as Okumura's?" "Yes." "Then I hereby dictate that you shall pass the Exorcist Authorization exam in two months or be executed. Do you acknowledge this sentence?" "I do." "Session dismissed."

After the exwires exited the courtroom, they seemed to visibly relax as if they had been afraid that they would be stopped at the doors for the sentence to be changed.

Mephisto caught up with them a few minutes later and said, "Well done little sis! You stayed calm when most would have been panicking. You make me so proud!" Rayla grinned and said, "Aww, shush, you're embarrassing me nii-san! Now, I don't know about all of you, but I feel like celebrating!" and she was met by cheers from her teammates. "Well," said Mephisto, "my mansion is more than large enough to accommodate a celebration large enough to fit the situation!" So they each went to their dorms to pack their necessary items (as Rayla had informed them that there was a pool) and met at the mansion soon after.

* * *

The party was soon in full swing, and Rayla taught Shiemi how to do all sorts of flips off the diving board. Rin didn't bother learning; he was content performing cannonballs that sent water flowing onto the sides around the pool. The party continued until well into the night, they moved into the living room, and Rayla disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a massive stereo system which she set up around the room. She plugged up her iPod and cranked up the music. They had a dance party in which Rin tried break dancing but failed hilariously. They each gave it their best attempts and to everyone's surprise, it was Konekomaru who had the most success.

They kept dancing and celebrating until well after midnight and they each slowly fell asleep one by one. Finally, all the exwires were sound asleep and Mephisto stopped the music. He then summoned blankets upon all of them and looked one last time at the room scattered with snoozing teenagers. Izumo and Renzō had snagged the sofa, Rin crashed in an armchair, Yukio had fallen asleep sitting on the floor leaning up against Rin's chair, Ryuji had laid down on the floor next to the sofa, Konekomaru had curled up in the corner, Shiemi had fallen asleep at the table, and Rayla had fallen asleep next to her brothers; she had told them about what their mother was like and had even retrieved a picture of Yuri from her room, a picture that Rin was still holding in his hands. Mephisto chuckled softly and went up to his room.

When the exwires all woke up the next morning, most of them had a hard time remembering why they were there. Only Yukio and Rayla had crystal clear recollections of the celebrations, but all of them were nursing headaches from mass sugar-consumption as Mephisto had graciously provided an endless snacks buffet that ranged from chips and dip to sinfully delicious cakes. Everyone else was content to stay at the mansion and sleep off their sugar hangovers, but Yukio insisted that they had cram school to attend. However, his argument was proven invalid when he promptly swayed on the spot as he tried to stand up which resulted in laughter from his students, and he laughed too. Mephisto agreed that none of them were in any condition to be going anywhere, so they settled in to have a movie marathon. They took turns picking movies, and by the end of the day, all of them had expanded their "Favorite Movies" list exponentially.

Finally, it was time for them all to go home. Rayla waved goodbye to her friends as they used their keys to go home. She then turned into the kitchen and found Ukobach beginning to make dinner. Smiling, she then returned to the living room and turned up "Catch My Breath" by Kelly Clarkson. She danced in time to the music and didn't notice Mephisto recording the moment on the camera that Yuri had given him. Yuri had specifically requested memories of her children's' time in Assiah, and had been more than pleased with what she received so far.

That night, Rayla slept better than she had in three weeks; she had almost done the impossible and literally worried herself sick the week before she started cram school, and then the week leading up to the mission was plagued by fear of discovery, and she had to be on a constant lookout on the mission for demon attacks. All in all, the past month had not provided the proper amount of rest she needed.

* * *

[Rin and Yukio's dorm]

"Well," started Yukio, "I guess now we know what was bothering her!" This was their first opportunity to really talk to each other since they found out about Rayla being their sister. Rin smiled and said, "Yup! I don't blame or dislike her for it, but I noticed that she calls Satan 'father.'" Yukio smiled and said, "That's to be expected. After all, she was raised in the palace until she was 9 years old, so it's completely natural for her to call him 'father.' And good for you for not being bothered by it nii-san!" Rin yawned and said, "I'm going to sleep now. Night Yukio." "Night, nii-san." And with that, they both fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

[The Next Day, at Cram School]

All the exwires, including Rin, were diligently taking notes; the teachers were more than shocked. In fact, their sutras teacher was so startled by the sudden change in her students that she fell out of her chair, and all the students ran to help her. At the end of the day, Rayla was starting to get curious as well. It was a nice change, but she still wanted to know why. So, after their last class for the day was finished, she asked them about it.

Ryuji smirked and said, "Well, since you and knucklehead have to take the exam in two months or be killed, we all decided that we'd help you and take the exam as well." Rayla was surprised; very few people were able to take the exam within their first two years of training, let alone their first, and yet the other exwires were going to try anyway. She smiled and said, "That sounds great! Oh and by the way, why did you call my baby brother a knucklehead?" Rin blushed at "baby brother," and Ryuji explained; "He usually doesn't pay attention in class, he rushes straight into a fiasco without a plan, and he always seems to think he has to do everything by himself." Rayla grinned and said, "Okay, I agree; he _is_ a knucklehead, but he's a fun knucklehead!" and everyone laughed, including Rin.

Konekomaru said, "Alright, so if we're all planning on taking the exam in two months, we should probably do study groups." Everyone nodded their heads, showing they agreed. They decided on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for studying general knowledge, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays for studying tactics and practicing with their skills. Shiemi said, "Hey guys, do you think we could ask for permission to use that training hall we were in a few weeks ago? I think there was more than just the batting cage in there." Everyone nodded in agreement and Rin said, "So does anyone have the key to get to Mephisto's office?" Rayla said, "I do, so let's go!"

They followed her into the hall as she pulled out her Infinity key. She put it in the lock and turned it twice; once to activate the portal, the second time to register which door she wanted. They stepped through and found Mephisto lounging at his desk eating cup ramen. His eyes widened slightly at the mass amount of students in his office, but nonetheless, he greeted them warmly. "Welcome exwires! How may I be of service to you?"

"We request permission to use the main training hall on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evenings." Said Konekomaru. Mephisto's eyes widened further, and asked, "Why is that?" Ryuji spoke this time and said, "We plan to take the exorcist exam along with Rin and Rayla, so we all wish to train independently from the standard courses to be prepared faster. "My, my, now this is a surprise." Said Mephisto. "I never expected you all to take the initiative to stand by your friends, however, I accept your petition; the training hall is now yours to use after school hours on the days requested. Is there anything else?" Rayla said, "I also wanted to tell you that we will be having book-study groups on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so we'll be coming over to the mansion on those days to read the centuries-wide collection of exorcism books." Mephisto smirked and said, "I like your determination! Very well; my library at the mansion is also yours to use. You will go far young exwires!"

And with that, they left the office and went back to the cram school. They could barely contain their excitement; they would have the best tools for passing their exams at their disposal. If they kept at it, they would definitely pass.

* * *

The next month and a half went by in a flash; they went on missions, they attended classes, and never missed a single study session, even when Shiemi showed up with a cold. Before they knew it, the exam date was one week away.

* * *

**Author's notes: Yes, I know, seems like a lame place to end this chapter, but since I'm posting two chapters at a time this time, I figured it didn't matter. Once again; all constructive criticism, commentary, and helpful hints are accepted, while hate mail/flame is not. I won't waste my time with it, so don't waste yours. If you think I'm bad, tell me how I'm bad and what I can do to fix it.**


	7. Chapter 7

[The Training Hall, Cram School]

The bangs and thuds rang about the training hall. It was another Saturday, and they had secured the hall for the entire day. Rin and Rayla were competing on the master setting in the batting cage; and hitting every target. The shells and halves of the balls lay scattered around them while the others watched on, observing their movements to improve teamwork on the field.

Once the machine had spit out 150 balls, it finally stopped. The siblings exited the batting cage and gave each other a congratulatory high-five. Next, it was Ryuji and Konekomaru's turn. Konekomaru had drastically improved his aim in the past month and a half, and was now competing evenly with his best friend. They stepped into the cage, and Izumo promptly set it to the master setting again. The machine whirred to life, and the Kyoto pair readied themselves for the onslaught of balls. Once the balls began firing, there was never a moment of silence; the gunshots and thuds of the ball pieces hitting the walls and floor were deafening, but they were used to it. The machine once again stopped at 150 and, observing the massive piles of ball pieces littering the cage, Shiemi quickly used her greenmen to clean up the mess.

Next, it was Izumo and Shiemi's turn. They had toughened up and now spent every morning carefully drawing magic circles onto their skin in case of attack. The headmaster had refused to allow them to actually tattoo themselves, but he had given them special skin pens that wouldn't bleed into their skin over time. Each placing drops of blood on the magic circles on their arms, Izumo summoned a middle-class naberius, and Shiemi summoned a middle-class ghoul. The pair had attained a powerful and extremely rare connection with their familiars. They no longer had to say the commands out loud; the familiars would obey their thoughts. The balls were diced and shattered and crushed as the demons seamlessly followed their masters' commands.

Renzō had taken to being Rayla's apprentice; her mastery over all five meisters had provided a lifeline to improve his skills as both a Knight and an Aria. She stepped into the cage with him and said, "Don't think this is going to be easy just because I already had a turn!" He grinned and said, "Wouldn't dream of it!" and the machine kicked into action again. Rayla was right; her earlier match against Rin didn't slow her down, but Renzō hadn't expected it to. Their match, like all the others, capped out at 150.

After they finished their training session, they went to a local swimsuit-required hot spring they had discovered soon after starting their study sessions. They quickly changed into their swimsuits and dipped into the water, letting it work out their minimal sore muscles. At first, none of them had taken well to the strict training regimen, but over time, it became easier to get out of bed the next morning. Now, the hot spring was just their treat for a long week's work.

Rin relaxed in the water and remembered the first week of training…

_He had decided to try to surprise Yukio with his newfound skills, so he didn't tell his twin about the new study sessions. What he didn't count on, however, was how worried Yukio would be when he came home every night, well after 8, soaked in sweat and exhausted. _

"_Rin!" called Yukio as soon as said boy stepped in the door. Rin snorted and made his way to the fridge. Yukio wasn't giving up, however. "Rin, what on earth have you been doing for the past week?! I asked the headmaster, and even though it was obvious he knew, he wouldn't tell me anything!" _

_"I've been hanging out with the other exwires, is that a problem?" snapped Rin. _

_"Yes, it is, when you don't give me any warning! And that still didn't answer my question! For the past week, you've been staying out late, coming home exhausted, and then been extremely reluctant to get out of bed the next morning! On Sunday morning, your knees locked up on you as soon as you stood up!" _

_Rin pouted. "Fine! I wanted to surprise you, but you're gonna keep pushing, so here goes; We've all been training for the exam, alright?!"_

"_What on earth do you mean by all of you? You and Rayla are the only ones who have to take it in two months!"_

"_The others decided to take it with us! Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are our weapons and strategy training at the training hall, and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we study in Mephisto's library at his place! Happy now?!" _

_Yukio just gaped at him; his twin had never, not once, been this dedicated to his education before, not even immediately after the Vatican dealt his execution sentence. Rin huffed and said, "That's why I didn't want to _tell _you, I knew you wouldn't believe me! Whatever; I'm going to bed – I'm tired, sore, and pissed."_

_He had been right; Yukio didn't believe him, nor did Yukio bother to follow him to the training sessions. So when their next mission came up a month later, Yukio almost went into shock when he saw the massively improved skills and teamwork amongst the exwires. Their coordination, communication, and balance was astounding; he had never seen such a well-formed team before. He was further shocked when he noticed that Konekomaru was wielding two guns; the guy had never been able to shoot anything before, and yet here he stood, blasting away demons left and right._

Rin came out of his thoughts suddenly when he was hit by a blast from a water gun; trust Renzō to bring excitement to what was supposed to be relaxation. He quickly caught a water gun passed to him by Ryuji and joined the fight. By the time they were worn out again, they realized it was after 10; their respective families and dorm mates would be worried. After getting dressed, they reluctantly said their goodbyes out front. "Don't forget," Rayla said, "That we have to meet with Mephisto tomorrow at 8; don't be late!" She was met by noises of acknowledgement, so she turned down the block and, finding a usually unseen door, went back to the mansion.

* * *

**Author's Notes: What do you think? I didn't want to end up trying and failing to write 1 and a half months of training; it would just be repetitive and boring. Same thing: constructive criticism, advice, and some ideas are accepted, while hate mail/flame is not. Tell me what's wrong, don't just sit there and kill your keyboard with furious typing for nothing; I won't even reply to hate mail, so haters; do yourselves a favor and save your keyboard. And don't send me hate mail if you break your keyboard while sending hate mail; that won't work either.**


	8. Chapter 8

[In Mephisto's office]

"SORRY I'M LATE!" yelled Rin as he crashed through the door.

His teammates and older brother just looked at him with amused expressions; they hadn't expected anything different from him. Rayla smirked "When I reminded all of you to not be late last night, I knew it was the kiss of death to your ability to be on time Rin; you're too predictable!" and everyone burst out laughing.

"Alright," said Mephisto, "Now to begin on what you're here for."

"All of you have diligently trained and studied for the past nearly two months; do you believe your efforts have paid off?" a chorused "Yes!" came from the exwires. "And do you believe that you could improve any further in the next week?" Ryuji answered, "There is always room for improvement, but if you're asking if we believe we're ready for the exam now, then yes." Mephisto gave a wide grin; "Very well said Suguro – if you had said that you did not believe that you could improve further in one more week's time, then I would have believed you to be completely incapable of taking the exam. However, your answer proves that you are indeed ready; an exorcist must never become overly confident in their abilities. I believe that taking the exam now will provide the same results as it would if you waited one more week. That being said; do you wish to take the exam today?"

After looking to one another for confirmation, they all nodded their heads. Mephisto snapped his fingers, and a bright gold key appeared in his hand. "If you would follow me please." He said.

He led the group over to the first door in the hallway and, after inserting the key, opened the door to reveal a high-ceilinged marble hall. He led them to the front counter where a young secretary sat. He cleared his throat to get her attention and said, "Young exwires Rayla Suzuki, Rin Okumura, Shiemi Moriyama, Izumo Kamiki, Renzō Shima, Ryuji Suguro, and Konekomaru Miwa are here to take their Exorcist Authorization exams." The lady pulled seven clipboards out of a drawer that were loaded with identical sheets of paper. She handed the clipboards to each exwire and they went to fill in the sheet.

Once they were finished, they handed in the clipboards and sat down to wait. Eventually, they were called away, one at a time, to a series of rooms depending on which meisters they were aiming for. Once they had all finished and come back to the marble hall, one of the assistants said, "You will receive your results tomorrow through the mail. Good day." And she left. The exwires left the building, eager to distract themselves from the anxiety of waiting for their results.

They eventually decided on going to Mephisto's amusement park; he was giving them free tickets for the day. They rode roller coasters, won stuffed animals in carnival games, and eventually hit the Ice skating rink. Rayla was the only one who had gone ice skating before, so she had to teach them all how to do it. They fell, they laughed, they got back up, and didn't notice when the sun started to set. It was only when an employee informed them that the park was closing for the night in ten minutes that they realized how much time had passed. They gathered their things and headed home, saying their goodbyes at the gate.

* * *

[The next morning, Mephisto's mansion]

Rayla was determined to stay in bed until she was sure that the results had come because she was quite sure that if she failed, then the Vatican would personally deliver her results and whack off her head as soon as she had read them. She didn't have to wait long; at 11:00, her demonic hearing registered the clink of a mailbox being opened. She ran downstairs, ran out the door, snagged the mail, and darted back inside. She sorted the mail on the table; Mephisto, she assumed, had three envelopes that looked rather odd (they were unlabeled; how on earth did the mailman get them to the right place?) and she had one envelope emblazoned with the Vatican emblem as a seal. She suddenly had an idea; she quickly pulled out her phone and connected a group call with her team.

One by one, they each picked up, and she said, "Have any of you received your results yet?" she was met with five "no's" and one "yes". "Alright, don't open them immediately, but let's meet at cram school to open them together; okay?" She was met by cheers so she said, "Alright, see ya in a bit!" and she hung up. She dashed upstairs, quickly threw on her preferred halter top, jeans, and heels, and dashed back downstairs. She grabbed the envelope, shoved her key into a lock, and stepped into the cram school. She headed to their usual classroom and sat down to wait.

Within minutes, she heard a door in the hall and in walked Shiemi, apparently the other one who received their envelope. Next they were joined by the Kyoto trio, and then Izumo, and finally Rin, who looked rather miffed ("The mailman almost forgot our building! The nerve!") and so they sat down in a circle. They started with Rin, whose face lit up as soon as he pulled out the paper. "What is it? Did you pass?" Rin nodded and said, "I passed all three! I still can't believe I had a talent as a doctor after all…" Konekomaru piped up and said, "Remember the Impure King? We all would have died from the spores without your flames; they can treat wide-spread miasma much more effectively than anything else the True Cross has, so of course you have some potential!" Rin grinned and said, "Thanks! Okay, Rayla, open yours next." Rayla opened hers and found that she passed all five exams; she hadn't expected that! Around the circle they went, and all seven of them had perfect scores on every meister they were tested for; all of them had decided to receive doctor meisters so that there would always be someone on their team with the ability to treat injuries.

They had an impromptu dance party; Rayla had brought her iPod for while she waited for the others, and after some tweaking, it played the music loud and clear. Even though it was mostly American music, they were all soon singing along. Their Japanese accents were more than obvious, but they had discovered during their book study sessions that they all had amazing singing voices; they had teased each other that if they weren't already working on being exorcists, then they could be world-famous singers.

However, the spontaneous celebration was interrupted when the door practically slammed open, and the exwires turned to see their rather shocked teachers, among which was Yukio. Rayla stopped the music and Yukio said, "What is going on here?"

"We're celebrating Yuki-chan!" said Shiemi. Rin chimed in, "We all passed! We're exorcists now!" and the teachers just gaped at them confusedly.

Rayla giggled and said, "We took our exams yesterday, we got the results today, decided to open them together, and we all passed!" The teachers were too shocked to really say anything, but then Konekomaru said, "Oh come on! Join the party!" and he turned the music back on. Eventually, Mephisto showed up with a snack buffet, party decorations, and a large portable pool; ("It's my school, I can do what I like!") He also had a chest full of swimsuits that magically fit the former exwires **(A/N: as in like treasure chest kinda thing not… yeah.)**. They splashed and played and reveled in the fact that Rayla and Rin wouldn't be executed. It was a very happy day for them all.

* * *

[In the training woods, two years later]

The clash of swords echoed through the trees; it was Rayla and Rin's habit to have practice matches against each other every weekend. "Nice one little brother! You gotta be faster than that though!" "I know, nee-san!" They had become as close as you could expect any half demon older sister/little brother pair to be. Rayla's training history amongst their many half-brothers had provided a way for Rin to improve his skills; now, they occasionally debated how he would do against Amaimon, who hadn't been seen for more than two years. Rin had now learned how to conceal his tail even when Kurikara was unsheathed; Yukio almost thought it had been cut off.

The others watched in amusement as the pair dodged through the trees, clashing at every opportunity. Suddenly, all their phones chimed, one after the other. The fight stopped, and each of them had a text from Yukio;

_Everyone,_

_Our group, the seven of you and I, have been assigned a mission. It could take as much as 2 weeks, so pack your things and meet me at the helicopter pad by noon._

It had been more than a month since their last mission together with Yukio, so they were excited. They quickly gathered their backpacks and headed back to the little cabin Mephisto had set up. The trek from the road to the heart of the forest was a long one, so Mephisto had connected a log cabin to the cram school since it had also become somewhat of a tradition for the fresh batches of exwires to head out to the forest for training camps at which our favorite characters frequently helped out.

Once they had each gathered their things, they headed to the helicopter pad atop the True Cross building. They quickly boarded a helicopter and it lifted off into the air.

"Alright," began Yukio, "how many of you have heard of the **[fill in name]** Canyon?" Everyone raised their hands, but Yukio called on Shima. "It is a deep canyon in which all signals are cut off and the fog over it is too thick for flares to work, even at night." "Very good." said Yukio. "Our mission is to observe the canyon from the outside; no one is to enter it, and proper precautions will be put in place to ensure that no one falls in by accident. We will be studying the properties of the fog that hovers over it as well as the top layer of rock that surrounds it to find out why the fog never goes away and why signals are disrupted." He then took his seat, and they leaned back to relax during the ride.

By the time they arrived at the canyon, it was already almost sunset. They set up the tents, one for the girls, another for the boys, and then set about making dinner. Rin cooked up a fabulous curry and rice dish, and by the time the pot was empty, they were all completely full. They told stories about their favorite parts of other missions, made jokes, and once it was about 10 pm, they turned in for the night.

The next morning, they quickly drove heavy-duty climbing hooks for harnesses into the ground far away from the edge so that in case the rock fell away while they were making observations, they wouldn't be sent into the canyon.

The first week of observation went incident-free, but they weren't any closer to discovering the mystery of the canyon than they were at the start of the week. But the peace couldn't last forever; on the second Tuesday since their arrival, they ran into problems.

One of the pegs on the boys' tent snapped clean in half while it was still in the ground, one of their pieces of equipment broke, and to top it all off, they still hadn't gotten anywhere on their research.

They were all in a frustrated mood that tends to come from bad luck, so it was with less preplanning than usual that Ryuji set up his equipment on the edge of the rock. Shortly after noon, he packed up his equipment, set it in the case, and then set to work removing the climbing harness from around his waist. Just as it cleared his boots, however, the rock tumbled away from beneath his feet.

"RYUJI!"

* * *

**Author's notes: I know, cliff hanger, (literally,) but all stories need one or else… well… yeah. Wait until you find out who screamed mwahaha :3 I won't post the next chapter until either 1.) someone guesses correctly about who screamed, or 2.) a week passes. (I can't bear to wait two weeks until my next chapter posting, so I'll make it one.) So send in those guesses!**


	9. Chapter 9

[On the edge of the canyon]

**Rayla POV**

It had been a long morning of observations with still no progress; it was irksome that we hadn't had a single clue as to why the canyon was so disruptive. Thankfully, Rin's stress relief comes in the form of cooking. The higher his emotions, be it positive or negative, the better his cooking is. It's always superb, but it takes on that heavenly quality when he pours his emotions into his work. So we all gathered up our research supplies (I had left one on the cliff face once; needless to say, we never saw it again) and prepared to eat our lunch. I did a headcount, always proper protocol, and found we were one person short; Ryuji.

I looked around, and my gaze fell on the cliff face; there he was, taking off the harness, on the wrong side of the climbing hook! Just after he was out of the harness's safety, the rock tumbled away beneath his feet.

"RYUJI!" I screamed. The others looked just in time to see his signature blonde and brown hair disappear past the edge of the canyon. We ran to the edge and barely managed to spot him through the fog; he was trying to hold onto a piece of rock sticking out of the newly exposed earth, but it was slowly falling loose. Rin quickly grabbed the rope and harness that Ryuji had just taken off and threw it down to him. He grabbed the harness with his free hand and, taking a chance, let go of the rock with the other. He had managed to pull himself up the rope and was half-way seated in the harness when fate took a turn for the worst; the rope snapped.

Something else snapped; my sense of reason.

I quickly started packing a backpack of emergency supplies when someone grabbed my shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" asked Yukio. "I'm jumping in after him; for one thing, survival rates increase drastically with two people instead of one, and for another, he doesn't have any gear on him." I replied, as I continued packing despite the hindered shoulder. He released my shoulder, although reluctantly, and said, "Take more supplies than that; the mission is aborted. The rest of us will secure a rescue mission, though we have no idea how long it will take. Be safe, nee-san." I finished packing as much as I could carry, and then I gave everyone hugs of hopefully only temporary farewell, and jumped over the ledge, following our teammate.

The fall was terrifying and yet exhilarating. I snapped my fingers once, releasing my flames and, using the trick that Rin and Yukio used against the Gehenna Gate all those years ago, morphed them into wings. That slowed my fall, but I couldn't "fly" like my younger brothers had due to the extra weight on my back.

I reached the bottom, and quickly found Ryuji; he had pulled himself to the river and was rinsing his hand; he had apparently cut it on the rocks. I also noticed that his leg was broken. _Wow… glad I came…_ I walked over to him, and cleared my throat. He was startled so badly that he almost fell in the river which, I thankfully discovered, was very shallow as far as rivers go. "Sorry!" I said. He frowned and said, "What on earth are you doing down here?!" This irritated me; it was quite obvious I was here to help, and yet he asked anyway. "Here to help you of course. Idiot." I pulled my many backpacks off of my shoulders and found the one with a splint kit. I quickly secured his leg, and then I turned my attention to his hand. It really was a nasty cut; he had cleaned it enough for me to see that much. I finished cleaning it and then I wrapped it carefully in a bandage. My decision to come down here was proving to be more useful than I had at first thought.

* * *

[Up on the edge]

**Third person POV**

They watched as Rayla fearlessly jumped in after Ryuji, and once she had disappeared, they set to work packing up camp so that they could move far enough from the canyon to get help. The packing was a sorrowful but hurried task; sorrowful, because their friends were out of reach in the canyon, and hurried, because launching a rescue mission would take long enough even without delaying their departure.

Once they had reached about 5 miles from the canyon, their cell phones chimed in unison; they were out of reach of the canyon's signal interference. Yukio pulled out his phone and called Mephisto.

"**Hello?"** came the headmaster's voice.

"It's me, Yukio, listen –" and he explained what happened.

_"**... prepare an aircraft launch! …. No I don't give a crap if you think it's dangerous! We have lost two exorcists, and it's policy to – shut the hell up and do as I say!"**_ came through the phone.

Yukio was frozen; he had never heard Mephisto so furious. The sound of a clearing throat came through the speaker, and Mephisto said,

"**Seems as if the Vatican is monitoring our conversation, so they ordered the launch pad personnel to shut down any launches not authorized by them. The bunch of…"** and he broke off.

Yukio asked, "So what about us? What about Rayla and Ryuji?"

"**I will have to talk some sense into them; they are spewing absolute nonsense! I will get back to you as soon as I have more to tell you. For now, stay where you are and pack in for the night. I can only hope that Rayla and Suguro are alright."** and he hung up.

Following his orders, they unpacked their camp again and prepared for a long night.

* * *

[In the canyon]

After bracing Ryuji's leg and cleaning the cut on his hand, Rayla decided to look for shelter for the night; she hadn't grabbed any tents.

She quickly found a suitable cave that would provide protection from the wind. She went back to the river and helped Ryuji to his feet. She led him to the cave and quickly settled him into one of the sleeping bags she had brought.

Once he was safely tucked into the sleeping bag she set up a fire and fixed a meal.

After they had eaten, Rayla settled into her sleeping bag.

Within minutes, however, it became apparent that even if they were protected from the wind, the canyon still had extreme temperatures at night and in the day. After a few minutes of debating it, Rayla convinced Ryuji to let her zip the sleeping bags together for shared body heat. They quickly settled in again and found that it was a worthwhile idea; it was much warmer. They were quickly sound asleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: Shorter chapter than usual; I was hurried to try to get this out there, I still feel bad for taking three. freaking. weeks. *smacks head on wall* Also, for those wondering: it is survival 101 that no matter how awkward it might be, sharing a sleeping bag would be much better than freezing to death. Review please, let me know how I'm doing! My brother says I moved time too quickly (the two month then two year timeskips) but I don't think so: I'd already planned the basic storyline of this fanfic before I even started typing it, and I wasn't going to fill in two years of bullshit missions and boring stuff. Hopefully I won't take so long for my next update but school is being… well, school. Anyway, thank you for sticking with me this far! :D**


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